1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to collection of sausage casings or the like and is particularly directed to an apparatus for collecting peeled sausage casings and conditioning them for removal to a remote location.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
There are a number of machines well-known in the art that are used to peel casings from a string of sausages, frankfurters or the like. Examples of such machinery are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,118,828; 4,414,707; and 3,312,995. Once the casings have been split, they are removed from the sausages by strategically directed air streams or, in some cases, a suction pump. For the latter, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,995. While these devices have operated satisfactorily over the years, there is always some problem associated with the removal and collection of peelings either because machinery utilized to effect such peelings is not highly efficient or the collection process must be terminated from time to time to enable the removal of a collection of casings that might otherwise become troublesome to the overall operation of the system.
Because of increasing safety standards and a higher demand for sanitary conditions within food processing facilities, there is a need to provide more efficient equipment for casing removal and evacuation that will eliminate the stoppages normally attendant with such processes and maintain the premises in a highly sanitary and otherwise healthy condition. The present application is directed to that need.